Games
by ballyoop
Summary: A serial set when Charlie is 10 and Don 18...WIP?


My first try at fan fiction, it's a small drabble, let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the Dr. and the bullies and you can have them if you want.

Chapter one

Games

(and those who play them)

By Ballyoop

I hate coming here.

"How are you today Donald?"

I look at his pudgy face, with his little beady eyes sticking out from the thick prescription glasses. He just got back from lunch a can tell because of the yellow stain on the tip his burgundy tie, he's tried hide it by tucking the ties tip into the waist of his slacks. He's looking at me as if he has the ability to look right into my mind and dissemble label and categorize everything that makes me tick. I hate coming here.

"Hmm, Donald you know I saw something interesting in the paper today..." oh no, here it comes, if at first you can't get the kid to talk, weasel him into a conversation by telling about some crazy thing he heard about a boy very similar to me and yadda yadda... well if he thinks I'm going to fall for this mind game he is very wrong. "...now where is that, ah yes," he reaches over the the magazine table next to him the movement causes his rounded belly to readjust itself over his belt line revealing a pinkish stain... wow he is a really messy eater, god, and mom and dad just rave over his professionalism. "Ah ha, here we are..." I'm surprised he's actually got a paper which means that not only is making up a story but his actually trying to get me to believe that it's real. Quickly he riffles through before stopping at the sports section and begins to read. "What an equation: Local Basketball Team Wins with Math." I look up at him as he reads, but I am no longer listening. I know this article, I read about a hundred times. It details how my basketball team won the biggest game of the season not by who made the winning baskets, but by a ten year old math genius. My brother... who sat next to the coach in the picture by the article. They didn't even mention my name. Its not fair that your coach also happens to be you high school math teacher so that when you, captain of the basketball team win the season by scoring again, and again that night; all of the praise goes to... your ten year old brother who can't even throw a hoop. "I didn't realize Charles was on your basketball team Donald. How do you feel about him being the coaches assistant?" I look at him and for a moment I want to knock him out, who does he think he is? It's none of his damn business how I feel it's my deal, and he acts as if... but I stop, there is no way he is going to get the best of me, if he wants to play games, well play. "I think it's good for him." I lie, when I get home I'm gonna... quickly I quell my anger and make sure that my impassive mask is in place... and watch through my mask as the rest of my afternoon flies by, in the wood paneled office of our family psychologist.

I hate coming here.

"Don, hon, go get your brother from the garage and bring him in for dinner." Mom says as she takes the stack of dishes from my hands. Dinner is meatloaf and artichoke casserole, and because Charlie is too "busy", I get stuck setting the table. The frown I had been holding deepens and my mom gives me a concerned look and I can tell she is about to say something when the kitchen timer goes off and she heads away dinner plates in hand. Saved by the bell. Slowly I walk to the garage, Charlie didn't have to go see Dr. Debase today because he had a math competition. I don't know if he won or not, he probably did, he always does, but I don't ask 'cause I don't care. Besides whenever he does win I have to sit through a night of "Charlie this, and Charlie that." I'm sick of hearing about my little brother and today I'm gonna let Charlie in on a few things. I reach the garage, usually I would knock on the garage door before I go in but I'm not in the mood right now. I quickly open the door and see Charlie's chalk boards filled with white marks... but no Charlie, calling his name I look around but to no avail. Frusterated that I came out all this way and he's not even in here I begin to leave, when I hear a scuffle from the corner behind one of the larger black boards.

"CHARLIE! Mom wants you in for dinner!" I yell exasperated that he ignored my other calls. I walk over to where he is standing his back facing me. I can tell he's playing with his chalk probably mulling over some new unsolvable equation. I pull his shoulder yelling as I do, "CHARLIE DID YOU HEA..." I can't help but stop yelling as I finally get him to face me. His nose is bleeding, or was, he has streaks across he cheek where he wiped at his injury I look at his disheveled appearance and all my anger is re-directed. "Charlie! Who did this?" He looks at me his eyes red rimmed and brimming with new tears. "Don, I ah, I'm real sorr... sorry for..." he pauses to catch his breath and collect himself but he begins again more hysterical then before "I DIDN'T WANT TO STEAL...I DIDNT TRY TO...I DIDN'T... I..."

"Charlie, CHARLIE!" I yell over his hysterics, he quiets and I gently touch his arm "calm down, now tell me what happened."

He sniffs and looks at me before shifting his gaze to the floor "after the competition i left the auditorium and was gonna walk home when Joe Martin and some of the the other guys from, from the team stopped me... and..." His voice cracked "they said if I ever... I TRIED, I tried to fight them Donnie, but I couldn't and they said if I said anything I would... " I quickly hugged him and my anger flared white hot, Joe was seventeen, he was a star on the team as well as I, he stood at 6'4'' and was one of the stronger players, and the other guys Charlie didn't mention, were probably Michael and Dennis, Joe's shadows also big and around my age. They fought or rather beat up on Charlie? "Charlie why did they... hurt... you?"

"the game Donnie... I'm real sorry"

"Charlie that doesn't make sense, we won the game." He looked at me finally, pain clear in his eyes... "but I stole your glory... " I hugged him again probably too tight as I felt him wince... those idiots! Charlie was only ten! Just because they weren't mentioned in an article about a stupid basketball game,... I realized then that I had thought to do the very same thing as my teammates, they were just like... me. Suddenly I felt sick for ever having been upset at Charlie. I could've hurt Charlie too because of my ego and and my stupid pride. Charlie volunteered to help with the game plan so that the team could win, not because he wanted publicity. Charlie hated all the extra attention he got already. Ashamed I forced Charlie to look at me

"Charlie you didn't steal anything, without you we never would have won... you gave us our glory" He looked at me dumbfounded, as if this line of thought had never occurred to him before, "You know Charlie you made me better by being yourself, you made the team better, and don't worry about Joe or the other guys they're just envious that your smarter then them, so they have to prove that they're better than you and the only way they think they can do that is with, fists and fighting. But what they are really doing is proving how dumb they really are because they can't defeat you that way. All they did is show how your better then them, and when I see them next I am gonna kick their sorry asses so black and..."

"NO! No Donnie, I don't want you to hurt them. Even if what they did was wrong if you hurt them you'll be just like them and I, I can't stand that." He said pulling away from me. Quickly seeing that he was shutting down I interjected "Okay... okay Charlie I won't, now lets go see mom and..."

"I don't want mom to see." He said solidly and suddenly I saw that same pride that had blinded me before in my brothers brown eyes. Yet my heart swelled to see this he wanted to protect me, my team 'cause he knew that if mom or pop ever found out it would be my team, our team, that would pay the price. "Okay Charlie, lets get you cleaned up and then well have dinner." This earned me a small smile of thankfulness, "so how did your competition go?" This earned me a bigger smile and I knew it was going to be a long and very mathematical evening.

FIN?


End file.
